Supplier Decision Checklist

Use the checklist before a shortlist is approved or an award recommendation is submitted. A blank box is not a failure. It is a signal that the evidence, owner or decision condition still needs to be made explicit.

1. Decision setup

• Are evaluation criteria and weights approved before supplier data is scored?
• Are mandatory requirements separated from weighted preferences?
• Is risk appetite or the rejection threshold documented?
• Are currency, quantity, delivery and comparison assumptions consistent?

2. Qualification and evidence

• Is every mandatory document linked to a source or evidence reference?
• Can a critical failure block a supplier regardless of commercial score?
• Are capability, capacity, compliance and continuity issues recorded explicitly?
• Are assumptions distinguished from verified facts?

3. Commercial outcome

• Does the comparison include freight, duty, tooling, inspection and fees?
• Are MOQ, lead time and payment terms visible beside cost?
• Are one-off and recurring costs treated consistently?
• Could the lowest quote change once the full commercial outcome is included?

4. Residual risk

• Is inherent risk recorded before controls and mitigation?
• Does each mitigation have an owner, due date and evidence requirement?
• Is residual risk reflected in ranking or recommendation?
• Are decision triggers defined for unacceptable unresolved exposure?

5. Negotiation and award conditions

• Are targets, concessions and minimum acceptable positions documented?
• Are agreed concessions assigned to an owner and deadline?
• Are pre-award conditions separated from post-award actions?
• Can the handover team see the conditions that shaped the award?

6. Management recommendation

• Can the preferred supplier be explained on one page?
• Are cost, score, residual risk and critical conditions visible together?
• Does the recommendation state what remains unresolved?
• Could a reviewer reconstruct the decision six months later?